Naruto: Trials of Life
by darkmoondread
Summary: When Life meets Death, they always give them a gift... But what if Death decided to give the gift this time..? Watch as our beloved blond idiot is marked by the Shinigami itself. Though it begs the question... Marked for what? Kekkei Tota Naruto, semi-smart Naruto, Rated M for Gore, Godlike Akatsuki
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Kon'nichiwa! Doreamu-Desu! (For those non weebs, that's Dream.) This is my first fanfiction, so I'm sorry if I become inconsistent/get carried away. I would first like to say that this fic starts on team selection, everything up to this point will be considered cannon. There are 3 OCs that will play little part on the story in the very beginning, but will be important later on. I don't really mind flames, but I would prefer constructive criticism. Please… I really need the feedback… DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto.. If I did, this is what the story would have been.**

* * *

Chapter 1: Introducing Konoha's Greatest Gennin Group!

An orange blur sped down the streets, knocking over civilians, and not looking back. If one looked closely enough, they could see a blond haired, blue eyed, whisker-marked teenage boy in panic as he made his way to the academy.

"Gahhhh! I haven't even been a ninja for a week and I'm already screwing up!" the boy yelled as he narrowly dodged a fruit cart that seemingly came out of nowhere. This was Uzumaki Naruto; and as he said, he was late. VERY late.

* * *

 **Konoha Academy**

A chunin stood in front of the classroom, a scar across the bridge of his nose. His hair was in a ponytail, and he seemed quite saddened as he read off his list. He was assigning teams currently, yet there was a lack of a blond haired, blue eyed, whisker-marked teenage boy in the class. It wasn't like Naruto to be late for something as important as this. _'He better not be pulling another prank…'_ The chunin thought as he continued down the list. "Team Seven: Kiba Inuzuka, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha-" the man said before he was cut off by a certain pink haired bansh- kunoichi. Pink haired KUNOICHI…

"CHAAANAROO!" the pink haired bansh- kunoichi screamed at a blonde haired, blue eyed, whiskerless-marked, teenage girl, "I WIN INO-PIG, SASUKE-KUN IS ON MY TEAM!"

"SHUT IT FOREHEAD," said the blonde haired, blue eyed, whiskerless-marked, teenage girl shouted back.

"Ahem."

Both teens looked back at their instructor and shrank with embarrassment. "Sorry Iruka-Sensei…" Both kunoichi spoke.

"Thank you. Team se-" Iruka started again before the door slammed open, an exhausted blond haired, blue eyed, whisker-marked, teenage boy fell to the floor.

"I'm… Here… Iruka-sensei…" said boy huffed.

"Naruto? What are you doing here? Team assignments are only for ninja who passed, remember?" a boy with a puppy on his head spoke up.

"Look at the forehead, dog breath. I am a ninja," Naruto replied.

"If you and Kiba are done, Naruto, please take your seat. As I was saying, Team Seven, your jounin sensei is Hatake Kakashi." A pause for dramatic effect, "Team Eight: Shino Aburame, Hinata Hyuuga, and Chouji Akimichi. Your jounin sensei is Kurenai Yuhi."

It was at this point that the blonde haired, blue eyed, whiskerless-marked teenage girl sat up. A small chill went down her spine. Very slowly, her head turned to the left, landing on the seat diagonal to her at a certain blond haired, blue eyed, whisker-marked idio- shinobi. _'No…. NO…. NONONONONONONONOOO!'_ she screamed in her head.

"Team Nine is still in circulation, so Team Ten, Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Naruto Uzumaki." Iruka said, before he was RUDELY INTERRUPTED FOR THE THIRD TIME.

"NOOOO!" Ino yelled as she stood up, "Sensei can I please change teams? I don't want to be on this team!"

Naruto looked down, a sad look in his eyes. Of course someone would complain about being on his team. Although Naruto knew nothing about her, he knew Ino hated him just as much as everyone else.

"Sorry Ino, the teams were selected by the Council itself. There will be no changing," Iruka said. "Your Jounin sensei will be Asuma Sarutobi. Well then, that's finished. Your jounin sensei will be here shortly." Iruka smiled, walking out the room.

Ino slumped into her seat, pouting. Not only did forehead get HER Sasuke-kun, but she was also stuck with the dead last. Shikamaru wasn't that bad, their dads were close, but he was extremely lazy. They would just drag her down.

A couple minutes passed, and several teams left. The door opened and a man with short raven hair, tan skin and a cigarette hanging out his mouth entered the room. "Team Ten?" he asked. Naruto, Ino, and Shikamaru stood up. The man wasted no time, just turning and motioning them to follow.

Naruto had to admit, his jounin sensei looked super cool! Walking eagerly, Team Ten sat by the tree in front of the Academy, Naruto claiming the swing as he got there first. Suddenly an annoyed "Ahem," interrupted his thoughts as he looked at a very annoyed Ino.

"What?" Naruto asked.

Ino rolled her eyes. "Don't you have any manners? It is polite to give your seat to the lady."

"But I got here first!" Naruto exclaimed in a semi annoyed tone. To be fair, he did get there first.

"How about both of you shut it down and no one sits on the swing?" Their sensei spoke up, sitting cross legged on the ground.

In an annoyed huff, both blond teens sat onto the ground in the shade of the tree.

"Thank you. Now, to get started, let's all do introductions. Names, likes, dislikes, hobbies, and dreams," Asuma said.

"Umm, can you show us an example?" Ino asked.

Asuma let out a long drag, "Yeah, I guess I should huh..? Well… My name is Sarutobi Asuma, I like Soba with Tororo and playing shogi. My dislikes? Probably just asparagus. For hobbies… I play shogi and blow more smoke than a chimney. My dream? Hmm… I don't really have one. How about you?" he tossed the focus from himself right back to Ino.

"Oh.. Umm, I'm Yamanaka Ino. My likes are Sasuke-kun and the color purple. My dislikes are…" Her voice trailed off as she took a quick glance at the blond idio- SHINOBI… beside her, which didn't go unnoticed by said idio- Shinobi… Or Asuma. "My hobbies are shopping, gossiping, and going through fashion magazines. My dream…" she thought of herself in a white wedding dress, holding the arm of one Sasuke Uchiha, squealing with a blush.

"Okay then… You, other blond, go," Asuma said, looking at Naruto.

"Right! My name is Uzumaki Naruto! My likes are ramen and training! My dislikes are the three minutes you have to wait for instant ramen. Seriously! If it's instant, you shouldn't have to wait! My hobbies are pulling pranks and watering my plants-" Naruto said before he got cut off.

"Ha! Yeah right! I bet you don't know the first thing about gardening!" Ino said, her arms crossed.

"I do!" Naruto said back, "Anyways, my dream is to become hokage! Then, all the villagers will acknowledge me and I'll be able to protect my precious people!"

"You? Hokage? Yeah right. And Sasuke-kun is gonna confess his love to forehead instead of me," Ino scoffed.

Asuma sighed, rubbing the back of his head before looking at the pineapple haired teen that seemed to be napping. "Alright kid, rise and shine, I gave you a lot of nap time."

Said teen gave a small, "Troublesome," as he leaned back up. "My name is Nara Shikamaru, I like Shogi and cloud watching. My dislikes are honestly too troublesome to say, and so are my hobbies as a matter of fact. My dream..? Hmm… I don't really have one."

' _Great, a loud mouth, an idio- shinobi…, and a lazy ass… just what I needed.'_ Asuma thought. "Right, I'll have an assessment of your abilities tomorrow. Meet at Training ground 13 at 8 AM sharp. Oh, and don't bother with breakfast. You'll just puke." With that, Asuma disappeared with a puff of smoke.

"WHAT?! How'd he do that?! I need to do that!" Naruto exclaimed. Silence came, and as Naruto looked around, apparently his team had ditched him in the middle of his excitement. With a pout, Naruto stood up and decided to walk around a bit. It's not like he was in much of a hurry anyways.

* * *

 **Couple Hours Later, Hokage Tower**

"Hokage-sama, what is the meaning of this?" Questioned a semi angry silver haired cyclops. "I specifically remember requesting for Naruto to be on my team."

Sarutobi Hiruzen. The Professor, God of Shinobi. Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure. "I apologize, Kakashi, but the Council refused to allow Naruto be on a team with Sasuke Uchiha. Although I hate to admit, we both know the reasonings. And Sasuke had to be with you, seeing as how you're the only one capable to help him with his Kekkei Genkai."

Kakashi sighed, fixing his composure after he lost his cool. "I understand, Hokage-same. I apologize for my temper."

The Hokage waved a forgiving hand, "Worry not, Kakashi. I know I would have felt the same."

Kakashi looked at the picture of the his sensei on the wall, the Yondaime Hokage. _'I tried sensei… I'm sorry.'_ Kakashi thought. He pulled out a small orange book from his pouch, walking out the Hokage tower. Though his eyes read the words, his thoughts were somewhere else, thinking over the past few years of his life.

* * *

 **Next Day, Training Ground 13**

Naruto, Shikamaru, and Ino sat in a clearing, waiting for Asuma to arrive and assess their skills. Suddenly, dread creeped into Naruto's mind. _'What if he has us do the bunshin?! Oh dear.. PLEASE NO!'_ he thought as panic set in on his face.

At about 8:03, Asuma walked up to his genin, smiling. "Good to know you all aren't slackers like a certain colleague of mine."

 **Elsewhere in Konoha**

A certain silver haired cyclops who was currently helping an old lady cross the road sneezed.

"Oh, bless you dear," the elderly woman said.

"Oh, thank you, Haraki-san," he said, pausing to let a few bicycles pass before helping her cross again.

 **Back with Team Asuma**

"What's the test Asuma-sensei?" Naruto asked.

Asuma took a long drag before slowly holding up two bells. "These two bells. You'll have two hours to get these bells from me. If you can manage to do that, congratulations, not only do you get to eat lunch, you won't have to go back to the academy."

"What do you mean go back to the academy? We graduated yesterday," Ino spoke up.

"That you did. But, as a Jounin sensei, I get the last word whether you stay on as a genin, or go back to the academy."

"And with there only being two bells…" Naruto started.

"Only two of us will pass.." Shikamaru finished. "How troublesome…"

"Don't forget, come at me with the intent to kill. If you don't, you'll never get a bell," Asuma said. "Ready?" he asked as the three genin prepared themselves. "Begin!"

As soon as those three words came out his mouth, two of the three genin scattered, hiding within the flora of the surrounding area. Asuma raised a brow, looking at Naruto.

"You know, Gaki, staying in plain sight is suicide if you don't have a plan," Asuma taunted.

"Who said I don't have a plan?" Naruto smirked. He crossed his fingers, determination in his eyes, " **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!** " Suddenly, about twenty Naruto's surrounded the jounin, each with their own smirk.

"Not bad, kid. Not too many people know that jutsu. And even less people can create as many as you just did," Asuma said. Though, on the interior, he was panicking slightly. _'How the hell can this one kid have so much chakra?!'_

In the trees somewhere, Ino frowned at Naruto, clearly unimpressed. _'What does he think those clones are gonna do? Asuma-sensei is a jounin.'_ Her words were cut short from shock, as the clones began to move and actually made contact with Asuma. It wasn't an illusion?

Besides Ino, Naruto's other teammate was shocked at the information he just gathered. _'This… This is impossible! Naruto has never been able to do the regular Bunshin jutsu, but here he is, fighting Asuma-sensei with twenty of him!'_

Although there were more Narutos currently present than there were Asumas, Asuma didn't have any trouble at all. Naruto's taijutsu wasn't just bad… It was absolutely horrid! This kid was an academy graduate for Kami's sake! What Asuma didn't know, however, was that the academy teachers purposefully taught Naruto incorrectly, through the use of sloppy formation and negative reinforcement.

Naruto swung wildly at Asuma's face, a loud, "Got you!" exiting his mouth. Upon striking Asuma's cheek, Ino and Shikamaru sat wide eyed, watching the spectacle before Asuma poofed into a log.

' _ **Kawarimi**_ _huh..? Troublesome..'_ Shikamaru thought as he continued to watch. Naruto looked all around, screaming at himself for losing track of Asuma.

"You know, you'll fail if you don't try to get the bell," Asuma said as he walked out the forest, "But I gotta admit, I like your courage. If only your teammates could show the same." His hands moved quickly, forming seals, Asuma inhaled deeply, " **Katon: Haisekishō**." With an exhale, black, chakra laced ashes blew towards Naruto. The blond started coughing, staying in the cloud, oblivious to the amount of danger he was currently in. With a smirk, Asuma clicked a piece of flint between his teeth, igniting the ashes and causing an explosion within the ash cloud.

Needless to say, Shikamaru and Ino were shocked. There's absolutely no way Naruto would live through that. As the smoke cleared, Naruto lay on the ground, burnt and singed. Asuma frowned. If this was all it took for Naruto to go down, the academy was losing its touch. He even held back a ton.

Suddenly, shocking everyone even more, Naruto poofed out of existence as the real Naruto shot from underground, reaching for a bell. He could see it. A bell in his hand. His fingertip almost touching the grey ball. A sharp pain came from the back of his neck, everything going black as he fell unconscious from Asuma giving him a swift chop, working through instinct.

* * *

 **Sometime Later**

Naruto slowly opened his eyes, completely disoriented. He tried moving, but soon discovered he was tied to a post.

In the background, he could see Asuma fighting both Shikamaru and Ino. Pouting to himself, a small ache flushed his chest. "Looks like they got the bell…" Naruto said softly. "Sorry, Iruka-sensei, looks like I can't make a good ninja after all." Just then, the bell rang, signalling that time was up. Naruto perked up at this. If the timer went off now… Then he would have still had a chance! Shikamaru and Ino collapsed onto the ground, panting as Asuma came to silence the timer.

"Good to see you're awake, Naruto," Asuma said.

"Yeah, too bad I couldn't get the bell, though," Naruto said softly.

"What are you talking about? You grabbed it just before you went out," Asuma said. "Sorry about that, by the way, I didn't mean to knock you out for so long. It's reflex from fighting stronger opponents."

Naruto just now noticed a small glint beside him, the shine from a tiny silver bell. "Wait.. I got one?! Yatta! I'm so great!"

"You and Shikamaru both have one. The brat caught me off guard when I was distracted by Ino and pretended to keep getting it," Asuma said.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, "It was too troublesome to fake for so long, honestly."

Naruto smiled at Shikamaru. It was just like him. Then, he noticed the sad face Ino wore. Then he remembered. There were only two bells. He has one and Shikamaru has the other. "Hey, Ino…" Naruto started.

"Shut it, Naruto. I know, I'm going back to the academy…" Ino snapped.

"No, I wasn't going to make fun of you… I was gonna say, you can have my bell if you want…" the blond said.

"What..?" Ino asked.

"I mean, you saw that fight… I think… I'm nowhere near good enough to be a ninja, I just graduated by luck. I saw you and Shika fighting Asuma-sensei. You deserve the bell more than I do." Naruto smiled. "Plus, it'll give me more motivation for next year in the academy!"

"I don't think that's necessary, Naruto," Asuma said with a smile.

"What do you mean? You said-" Naruto started.

"I know what I said," Asuma cut him off. "But what I didn't say was that this was a test to see if you could all work together as a team. From your self sacrifice, you gave Ino the chance to advance and go forward. That, Naruto, is why you graduated."

"So… We all passed..?" Ino asked.

"You all passed," Asuma said with a wide smile.

"Yatta! I'm one step closer to becoming Hokage, dattebayo!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Anyways, I'll be on my way, have to tell Hokage-sama of your success," Asuma said, disappearing in a shunshin.

"I have to go tell my parents! They'll be so proud!" Ino said, running off.

"I'm off to nap. Today was just too troublesome…" Shikamaru said, walking away.

"U-uhh… Guys...? I'm still here!" Naruto said, still tied to the post.

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **AN: AAAAAAAAAAnd that's a wrap! Wait… no… that's a chapter. This one was pretty short, since I have a tendency to write long chapters, but worry not! I'm in the process of planning the second chapter! The next chapter should be longer..? Maybe? I'm not sure, but I like to write long chapters. See you all next time! I… think…?**

 _ **PS: Beta read by his amazing (but idiotic) sister. Just so you know he's not flawless.**_


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hey guys, Dream here! Back with another chapter in this story of mine! This took considerably longer due to the fact that it is a LOT longer of a chapter. Firstly, I'd like to thank those who followed and favorited. It grew a lot faster than I thought it would. And thankfully, I'm not the only one who ships Naruto and Ino. I plan on taking my time with their character development and growth as shinobi, because I feel like to make an engaging story, you need engaging characters. So there will be chapters that don't add much in terms of story and plot progression, but are important to character development. Anyways, enough about me, there were comments made by three individuals: shroomsohshrooms, stormgod25, and Antex-the legendary zoroark. I'd like to personally thank you for taking time out of your lives to leave a review and your praise in the start of this fanfic; hope you guys stay till the end. To everyone else, I also implore you all to stick to the end, and please consider giving me feedback. I'd greatly appreciate it! Just as a disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, it would have been written like this.**

 **On to the chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 2: YOU HAVE WHAT?!

 **Konohagakure - Naruto's Apartment**

Our friendly neighborhood idio- shinobi was currently asleep, snoring loudly as his alarm clock is sounding. Naruto lay in bed, pajamas on and a snot bubble expanding and contracting. It's been two weeks since his genin team formed, and they've been working on building their stamina and teamwork.

Shikamaru, despite all the protests he gives, has actually improved. It wasn't much improvement, but he's a Nara… You shouldn't expect much. Ino, on the other hand, was struggling. With a diet consisting of small salads and water, it didn't take an expert to see she was more concerned about her looks than her skill as a kunoichi. Naruto… Honestly hasn't improved much. At least, in Asuma's eyes. He was already a giant chakra ball, so there was no need to improve much on that. The problem was, no matter how hard Asuma pressed him, Naruto just never seemed to tire. He gave the blond idio- shinobi twice the amount of laps around the training ground and three times the amount of push-ups and sit-ups. Between babysitting Shikamaru so he didn't fall asleep during sit-ups and making sure Ino didn't faint from malnutrition, he didn't have a lot of time to really think of a solution for Naruto's endless stamina. Speaking of, it's about time for our blond idiot to wake up, seeing as he's already forty-five minutes late.

Finally coming into consciousness, our beloved blond idiot groggily looked at the time, turning the alarm off. Shutting his eyes, he stayed in bed for a few more seconds before sitting up in a panic, looking at the clock once again. "WHAAATTT?! I'M LATE AGAIN?!" Naruto yelled as he jumped out of bed, rushing to the bathroom for a quick shower.

* * *

 **Meanwhile, in Training Ground 13**

Shikamaru and Ino were currently doing their post workout stretches with Asuma, getting ready for a spar. They've gotten used to Naruto's tardiness, due to him also being consistently late to the academy classes.

Asuma stood in the clearing, a single bell ringing from his belt loop, "Remember, come at me with the intent to kill. You have two hours to grab a bell, else you're back to doing your warm up all over again."

Shikamaru and Ino sighed. They hated this part of the training days. Especially when Naruto was absent. Try as they did, but neither Shikamaru nor Ino could match Naruto in endurance portions such as this. Shikamaru muttered a small troublesome as him and Ino waited for the signal.

Asuma slipped into a basic stance, a small wind passing them by. "Begin!" he yelled.

Both genin present immediately on the offensive. Shikamaru went through very familiar hand signs with ease, his shadow shooting forward as Ino rushed Asuma with a kunai in hand.

Redirecting her slashes with open palms hitting Ino's wrists, Asuma moved backwards, easily dodging the tendril of shadow and keeping out of reach of Ino's short ranged weapon. Due to being a Nara and a Yamanaka, the clan heirs were long ranged fighters, thus depending on teammates such as the Akimichi or (in this case) Naruto, who excelled in close range combat. Ino, currently, was filling that role. Her and Shikamaru would switch off, this time being her turn, whenever Naruto was Absent. With the shadow reaching its limit, Asuma stood in place, blocking and parrying Ino's strikes as Shikamaru repositioned. They've gotten better. If only Naruto was a consistent variable in these spars. Maybe then would they be trouble for Asuma.

His thoughts were interrupted due to a shadow tendril approaching faster than normal. Looks like Shikamaru decided to get serious. Moving back again, Asuma found himself backed into a tree. Feeling victory, Shikamaru and Ino smirked, finally able to corner Asume. However, their pride was cut short when he poofed into a log, hiding from the two genin.

"Ugghh! Damn it! Can't your shadow move any faster, Shikamaru?!" Ino asked in an annoyed tone.

"Maybe you should try to distract him better, you troublesome woman…" Shikamaru mumbled.

"What was that?!" Ino snapped.

"Nothing, nothing."

"Well Asuma-sensei has to be somewhere here…" Ino said, looking around carefully.

Their search, unfortunately, was interrupted by a certain loudmouth who came barreling in. "Guys! Sorry I'm late! What did I miss?" Naruto asked.

"About time you're here, idiot!" Ino yelled, bonking Naruto upside the head.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?!" Naruto asked,

"Guys, can we save it for later. We have to get the bell from Asuma-sensei," Shikamaru said, still looking around carefully.

"Oh, right. How much time is left?" Naruto asked.

"Thirty minutes," Ino answered.

"Let's split up and look for him. Send a flare tag if you find him," Shikamaru said before the three genin split up and looked for the jounin in the surrounding forest.

Moments later, an out of breath Asuma erupted from the ground, gasping and panting as sweet, sweet oxygen filled his lungs. "Gotta thank Kakashi for showing me that jutsu…" He said.

* * *

 **Elsewhere in Konoha**

Kakashi exited a bookstore, reading a light teal book, giggling to himself before abruptly stopping. "Suddenly… I feel someone has been indebted to me… Perfect…" the cyclops whispered to himself.

 **With Naruto**

Naruto was currently having a hard time looking for Asuma, not really knowing how far his sensei would go. With a frown, Naruto decided to backtrack, deciding he had traveled far enough to know Asuma was nowhere near. His backtracking was stopped by a red vertical cloud, signalling someone found Asuma. Naruto rushed that direction, summoning a few shadow clones to propel himself forward to get to his destination faster.

Upon arrival, he noticed Shikamaru and Ino arriving at the same time, a confused expression on all their faces. "Wait.. You mean neither of you sent the flare?" Naruto asked.

"Not me," Ino answered.

"Neither did I… That means…" Shikamaru started before his eyes went wide, "It's a trap!" Unfortunately, his exclamation was too late as a familiar black cloud surrounded the three genin. Within moments and a bunch of fighting sounds, the three genin found each other on the ground, tied up around a triumphant Asuma Sarutobi.

"Damn, am I awesome or what?!" Asuma boasted as the timer went off.

"Yeah, now you can tell all your jonin friends how you're picking on soft little genin," Ino snapped. Being exhausted and hungry didn't help the girl at all.

"You don't have to say it like that," Asuma said, untying his team. "Anyways, since you all failed to get a bell, you get to do your warm up all over again. Oh, and Naruto, since you missed this morning, you'll have to do it twice."

"Aww man, not again," Naruto whined.

"Maybe if you woke up on time, you wouldn't have this problem," Ino said.

"Maybe if you focused on training and eating properly instead of Sasuke, you wouldn't be so weak," Naruto snapped back, not realizing what he said in time. His hands clapped to his mouth as Asuma and Shikamaru watched with wide eyes.

"Watch yourself, Uzumaki… You're on thin ice…" Ino said before walking off to begin her workout.

"Sigh… You always have to be so troublesome, don't you, Naruto?" Shikamaru said before walking off as well.

Asuma rest a hand on Naruto's shoulder, "Don't worry about it, gaki. She'll get over it soon enough."

Naruto nodded, deciding to start on his tremendous workout ahead of him. Forty laps around the training ground followed by one hundred and fifty push-ups and two hundred sit-ups. His eyes were glued to the ground as he went past his two other teammates easily, thinking about his mistake. A couple laps later, Naruto slowed down enough to meet Ino again, who was on her last lap, unable to meet her gaze. "Ino…" Naruto started.

"What do you want, Uzumaki?" Ino snapped with venom in her voice.

Naruto flinched involuntarily. It seemed all too familiar to the male blond. "I just wanted to apologize for what I said back there…" Naruto said softly before running ahead again. He wasted a ton of time waiting for Ino, so now he had to keep going.

Ino slowly came to a stop, having finished her run before going to do her push-ups. "Idiot…" Ino mumbled softly to no one in particular.

* * *

 **Later that day**

Naruto finally finished his workout, laying on his back as he watched the sky. His whole body was a little exhausted, but nothing he couldn't handle. The sun was still moderately high, so he figured it was about three to four o'clock. A small rumbling from his stomach was all the blond needed to know that he was hungry. Getting up, he started walking towards his favorite ramen stand.

Upon entering, Naruto took in the aroma for a second. "Hey, old man! I'll take five miso ramen, three pork ramen, and one shrimp ramen, on the double!" Naruto said excitedly.

Teuchi smiled at the blond, chuckling. "Alright, comin' right up!"

"Say, Teuchi-ojii, where's Ayame-chan?" Naruto asked.

"Ayame? Ahh, she's out getting some groceries. She should be back shortly," Teuchi replied, placing the first bowl in front of Naruto. "Now eat up, kiddo, we haven't seen you in a while! I'm starting to think you don't like our ramen anymore."

"No way, Teuchi-ojii! Yours is the best there is! I've just been busy training all the time with my team!" Naruto said, explaining his absence.

"Nah, don't worry about it Naruto, just remember to stop on by once in a while. My wallet's getting empty when you're gone for a long time," Teuchi jokes, placing the blond's second bowl in front of him. "Say, how's Iruka-sensei? Has he made a full recovery?"

"Yep! He's good as new!" Naruto said, "Maybe next time I'll be able to drag him here to treat me again!"

Time flew as Naruto and Teuchi caught up, Ayame eventually joining the conversation when she returned. The three laughed and smiled before Naruto decided to take off, placing his money on the counter and promising to come back soon.

Naruto ignored the hateful glares of the villagers around him. He walked with his head held high and a smile on his face as he made his way home. He didn't really have any set destination, but he figured that he would end up somewhere.

Suddenly, Naruto heard yelling and screaming coming from the nearby park. Approaching the area, Naruto stumbled upon a tiny looking kid wearing a blue scarf and a helmet with a hole on the top to let his hair poke through. Said child was currently screaming at a man with a bandana style headband, a navy blue jumpsuit, and circular sunglasses.

"Honorable Grandson, please, you mustn't start with trouble with any of the other children," the man said.

"It's no point, Ebisu-sensei. If they don't wanna play with me, then they're just looking for a fight. They started it!" the child said again.

"It doesn't matter who started it," Naruto said, deciding to speak up, "What matters is how you handle it."

"What? Who the hell are you?" the child asked.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto, the next Hokage, dattebayo!" Naruto exclaimed with a thumbs up.

"Ha! You wish! I'm gonna be the next Hokage!" the small boy said.

"With my training," Ebisu said with a smile, "It will be an easy task for you, Honorable Grandson."

"Would it kill you to say my name?! It's not that hard! KO-NO-HA-MA-RU!" the child said in irritation.

"Baka!" Naruto yelled, bonking Konohamaru upside the head. This got the attention of both Konohamaru and Ebisu.

"Honorable Grandson!" the tutor screamed in terror.

"There's no shortcut in life. No way to do things the easy way. Life is about struggling to get up with your own strength, not the strength given to you from birthright or money. If you aren't strong enough to hold yourself up, how are you going to lift others?" Naruto asked, seriousness in his eyes.

Konohamaru stared at the blond, wide eyed, tears streaming down his face. "That's it!" he exclaimed. "You're my rival! You and me will have to see who becomes the next Hokage!"

Naruto smiled widely, "You're on, kid! I'll never back down from a challenge!"

"That's a bold statement, Naruto," a voice said.

Naruto turned around, seeing Asuma behind him. "Asuma-sensei, what are you doing here?"

"I came to pick up my nephew. He wasn't a brat, was he?" Asuma said, looking at Konohamaru then to Naruto.

"What do you mean, Asuma-ojisan?! I'm not a brat!" Konohamaru said. "And how do you know Naruto-oniisan anyways?!"

"He's one of my genin," Asuma said simply. To say Konohamaru looked betrayed would be the understatement of the century.

"My own uncle… betraying me for my rival… HOW CRUEL CAN THIS WORLD BE?!" Konohamaru screamed into the sky.

Asuma sighed. "C'mon, Konohamaru, let's get going before your kaa-san worries more."

"Hai, Asuma-ojiisan…" Konohamaru said in a comic depression.

"Hey, Konohamaru, how about next time, I show you something neat, yeah?" Naruto asked with a grin. This seemed to brighten the eight-year-olds mood.

"You got it boss! I bet I'd learn more from you than Ebisu-sensei!" Konohamaru laughed as he walked away with Asuma.

Naruto could feel the glare from Ebisu behind him from taking his prized student away. "While I respect your wisdom and friendliness towards the Honorable Grandson, Uzumaki-san," Ebisu spoke softly, "Please, refrain from stealing other teachers students away from them."

"E-err… Sorry!" Naruto said, then bolted away, not wanting to be in that situation anymore.

The next few days, Naruto was present and on time, sometimes even early. Though, reasoning for this was because Asuma decided to move their weekday meetings later into the day, which didn't get any resilience from the genin. Today, however, was the first day that they would be doing their first mission.

As was tradition in Konoha, Team Asuma went to the Hokage Tower to receive their first mission. Naruto excitedly walked up to the Hokage's door, entering without knocking.

"How's it going, Jiji?" Naruto asked with a large smile on his face. Saying Ino and Shikamaru were shocked would be the understatement of the century.

"Naruto!" Ino scolded, hitting Naruto on the head. "You can't say that about the Hokage! You're supposed to treat them with respect!"

"Don't worry, Yamanaka-san. Naruto-kun is like a grandson to me. We've known each other for quite some time," the Sandaime said. This shocked Shikamaru and Ino more.

"So, Jiji," Naruto said, rubbing the lump on his head, "What are you going to have us do? Destroy a castle? Or, or fight off enemy ninja while we save a princess! Or maybe-!"

"Walking dogs," the Sandaime said with a cheerful voice.

"Ehh.. nani..?"

"For your first mission as Team Ten, you will be walking the Inuzuka dogs that do not have partners," Sarutobi explained as he gave the scroll to Asuma.

"What do you mean we're walking dogs?!" Naruto yelled.

"Stop yelling, idiot!" Ino snapped, bonking Naruto again. "We can't just complain once we've accepted the mission."

"I just… I wanted a real mission…" Naruto said, deflated.

"This is a mission, a D-rank mission. One to not only help and benefit the village, but also help you all in getting your fund for money," Asuma explained. "If that's all, Hokage-sama, we will be on our way. Don't wanna be late for our first mission."

"I'm afraid you already are," Sarutobi said, "They expected you ten minutes ago."

"EHHH?!" Team Asuma exclaimed as they all rushed out of the Hokage Tower to go to the Inuzuka dog kennel.

Sarutobi snickered at the team, a 20 ryo piece falling onto his desk from one of his hidden ANBU. "I told you, all shinobi are gullible if their kage tells them something."

* * *

 **Four Days Later**

Naruto walked towards the training ground, his thoughts racing, wondering why Asuma wanted to meet with him. The first two days of any week was for team building sparring/exercises. The next two were for endless amounts of D-rank missions. Today was for individual training, then the weekend was for relaxing or training, if you so wished. Since today was Individual Training Day, he was a little irritated that Asuma wanted to meet him. Though, it seemed important.

Upon arrival, Naruto saw Asuma under a tree, smoking a cigarette, staring at the sky. "Yo, Asuma-sensei, you said to meet you here?"

"Yeah, I did. Listen, you know how today is individual training day?" Asuma asked.

"Yeah..?"

"Well, from what I've heard, Shikamaru and Ino will be training with their parents in their clan jutsu and kekkei genkai."

"What's that gotta do with me?"

Asuma struggled with how to phrase the next sentence. "Well… Listen, I know you're an orphan. Iruka told me your parents died the night of the Kyuubi attack. So, you've got no one to teach you anything. That's where I come in. Now, we aren't in the same clan, so I can't really teach you any clan jutsu, but what I can teach you is nature manipulation."

"Nature what-now?" Naruto asked.

"For example, the **Katon: Haisekishō** that I used on you during the bell test. It was a Fire manipulation jutsu. Meaning I used my chakra and turned it into the desired element. This can be done with the other four: Wind, Water, Lightning, and Earth. Do you follow so far?" Asuma explained.

"So… If I can turn my chakra into one of the elements, then I can do the nature manipulation thingy?" Naruto asked.

"Switch that. If you can manipulate your chakra into the desired nature, then you can use the elements."

"I get it! So, which one should I learn?" Naruto asked.

"First, let's see what affinity you have." Asuma pulled out a small slip of paper, "Here, channel your chakra into this. Based on the reaction, it will tell you the affinity. If it cuts in two, you have wind. If it burns, fire. Lightning will wrinkle, Earth will turn into dirt and crumble, Water will make it wet. Observe." Asuma held up a paper and it immediately split into two.

"Oh! Oh! You have wind!" Naruto exclaimed. "Wait, but if you have a wind affinity, how can you do fire jutsu?"

"I do," Asuma confirmed. "The reason I can do fire jutsu is because I trained in it. The affinity only tells you which of the elements will be easiest to learn and the strongest of your elements. So as it stands, my wind nature is stronger than my fire nature. Now, let's see which you have."

"Yosh!" Naruto gave Asuma a small salute before closing his eyes and concentrating. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a loud "WHAT?!" coming from Asuma. Opening his eyes, Naruto looked around, "Huh?! What?! What happened?!"

"Look, you idiot!" Asuma yelled, pointing at the paper.

Looking down, Naruto's eyes widened. Not only did it split in half, the left half wrinkled and the right half became wet. "Sensei, does this mean I have three affinities?"

"Damn right you do, Gaki! You're a literal jackpot!" Asuma said loudly. "Alright kid, every week we're coming to this spot and working your ass off!"

"Hai! Asuma-sensei! I knew I was awesome, 'ttebayo!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Now, since I am a wind user, I'll train you in that first," Asuma said. "Tell me, how many shadow clones can you make?"

"What's that gotta do with this?" Naruto inquired.

"Well, the shadow clone jutsu was originally designed for spy missions. The experience the clone gets becomes transferred to the user. If you make five clones, it cuts the training down a fifth of the time. If it takes you four months for the average shinobi, with enough clones, it can only take one." Asuma explained.

"Oh! I get it! Then how many do you need? Fifty? A hundred?"

"Y-you can make a hundred clones…?" Asuma asked in disbelief.

"Uhhh… uh-huh." Was the only answer Naruto gave.

Asuma did an excited dance, celebrating and shouting. He picked Naruto up happily, "YOU'RE THE BEST GENIN I COULD HAVE EVER ASKED FOR!"

"A-anou… Can you put me down, Asuma-sensei?" Naruto asked.

Asuma cleared his throat after he set the boy down. "Right. Anyways, I think fifty clones should be enough."

"Yosh!" Naruto said. With a cross of his fingers and a multiple puffs of smoke, fifty Narutos appeared around them.

Asuma approached a tree, pulling a single leaf off. "You will have to split a single leaf using only your wind chakra." Asuma placed the leaf in the middle of his palm, then covered it with his other hand. "Make sure you make your chakra sharp like a blade." Moving his top hand, there rested a leaf that was cut diagonally.

"Right!" Naruto said. He started to approach the tree when he was stopped by Asuma.

"Actually, Naruto, while your clones work on the wind nature manipulation, how about we do some taijutsu training?" Asuma suggested.

"What are we going to do?" Naruto asked.

"Well, first, we have to pick a style of taijutsu training. The academy stuff isn't going to cut it, if I'm going to be honest."

"So what do you suggest?"

"There's the Gōken, which is to cause heavy external damage and break bones," Asuma suggested.

"No, it doesn't sound like something I'm interested in. I want something more… tricky to understand," Naruto said.

Asuma pondered his students suggestion. "I'll tell you what, today, let's just go with some heavy taijutsu sparring, then I'll see if there are any scrolls that you might like for next week, yeah?"

"Alright, Asuma-sensei. Let's get started!" Naruto exclaimed.

Asuma smiled and took a familiar looking object out from his pouch. "Let's see how close you can get to getting the bell."

* * *

 **Several Hours Later**

Naruto fell to the ground exhausted, recovering from the massive backlash he got from dispelling all his clones at once. He looked at Asuma standing above him, a small smile on his face. "Thank for taking time out of your day to help me, Asuma-sensei," Naruto said.

"Don't mention it, Gaki. Like I said, Ino and Shikamaru have their parents, it's my job to make sure all three of my genin get stronger. So, you having no one to help you, that position falls onto me," Asuma said. "I'll check the library for you and see if there are any scrolls for a 'tricky' taijutsu."

"Thanks Asuma-sensei, you're a lifesaver."

* * *

 **Few Weeks Later**

Team Asuma arrive at their usual training ground, arriving at around the same time. Naruto and Asuma have decided to just hone Naruto's instincts rather than give him just a set style. After all, having no style is just a threatening as having an unpredictable style. Ino and Shikamaru haven't been slouching either. Although Ino would rather spend time shopping and fangirling over Sasuke, she's been working hard. She just needs one final push. The same could be said about Shikamaru. The Nara would rather cloud watch or beat Asuma at shogi. Just don't let him play Naruto… The last time the two played, they actually had to hold down Shikamaru from killing the poor blond. Who knew a pissed off Nara was scary? Better yet, who knew Naruto was so good at shogi? Naruto certainly didn't. There was just something about Naruto that made them more determined. Seems like the 'dead last' wasn't such an idiot after all.

Speaking of Naruto, his elemental training is still a far ways away. The boy managed a small cut, but that's all he's been able to get.

"Listen, you guys. I know today is usually team building day, but we have an important mission to do," Asuma said.

"Oh god… Please don't tell me we have to catch that troublesome cat again," Shikamaru said.

Asuma laughed. "No, not Tora. Hokage-sama likes our improvements, so we have been handed a C-rank mission. We will be escorting a bridge builder to Nami no Kuni."

"Do they have ninja in Nami no Kuni, Asuma-sensei?" Ino asked.

"No, they don't. Although some smaller countries like Taki, Kusa, and Ame have ninja, Nami no Kuni depends on their neutrality and trades for their economy. So I don't expect we'll face too much opposition," Asuma said. "Anyways, meet at the Eastern Gate in one hour, be packed for at least a weeks trip. Got it?"

"Hai!" the three genin said before dispersing to go pack.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

 **AN: And that's another chapter done! I know I said I like long chapters, but school has been going on recently, and I don't know if I'll be able to write for long periods of time. So instead of long drawn out chapters that are released randomly, I've decided for smaller chapters that can be released more consistently. So the outcome is the same, just the method of said outcome is different. Thank you to all that took time to read this chapter, and I hope you guys leave a review with praise or constructive criticism! Oh! And let me know if you'd rather have longer chapters that are released further apart or shorter chapters that are closer together. Thank you!**

 **As always, my fics are beta read by my lovely, idiotic sister!**

 _ **I take offense to being called idiotic.**_

 **Shh… No one has to know…**

 _ **You literally said it not 3 sentences ago.**_

 **Uhh… K THANKS BYEEEE~~**

 _ **Yeah shockingly, I READ these! I'm your beta reader.**_


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Hey guys, how's it going, my name is Dream and welcome back to another chapter! I wanted to thank you guys for all the support, and hope you all continue reading! Just a note: I have an idea for another fic I want to write, but I still need to flush out the details. Also: In the first chapter, the AN there said there would be three OCs introduced. I think I might not do that and instead have a different story with those OCs.**

 **Liger Zero - While I agree Naruto's jumpsuit is hideous, I think I might stray away from making him too much like Minato. There are a lot of fics out there that make Naruto the second coming of our beloved Yondaime Hokage. So I recommend you read some of those! That being said, I've decided to make Naruto more like his mom Kushina, seeing as how everyone in the anime kinda forgot she existed. It made me sad when she didn't get as much screen time as she should have! While I will give Naruto a few key Minato points, I think I want Naruto to be more than just the second Yellow Flash, yknow?**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto, if I did, it would be written like this.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3 - Just a Small Gift**

 **Konohagakure - Eastern Gate**

Naruto arrived with five minutes to spare, seeing his teammates waiting. Asuma had yet to arrive, so he put his backpack down temporarily and plucked a leaf off a nearby tree.

Watching her blond teammate cover the leaf with his hands, Ino raised a brow at him. "Naruto, what are you doing?"

"Oh, Asuma-sensei is teaching me nature manipulation ninjutsu," Naruto said with a grin.

"Nature manipulation? That's at least chunin level stuff," Shikamaru said.

"Why would Asuma-sensei waste his own time with teaching you that stuff when he won't even teach us?" Ino asked, slightly irritated.

Naruto looked down at this, his hair hiding his eyes. "Well… With you guys learning your clan jutsu, I can't fall too far behind, can I?"

"What about your own clan jutsu, baka," Ino snapped.

"I uhh… Well, I'm an orphan," Naruto said softly. Ino and Shikamaru widened their eyes at this. "My parents died the night of the kyuubi attack, the day I was born. So Asuma-sensei said it was his job to make sure I grew just as fast as you two…"

"I'm sorry, Naruto… I didn't know," Ino said, silently regretting what she said.

Naruto looked at her and Shikamaru with a foxy grin on his face, "Don't worry at all about it! As long as I got Asuma-sensei, nothing can hold me back, 'ttebayo!"

"Well, I'm glad you feel that way about me, Naruto," Asuma said, walking alongside an older gentleman with a straw hat who reeked of alcohol.

"Hey, the hell is this supposed to be?" the old man said, slurring his words a bit, "I thought I hired ninja, not a couple brats. They look like they can barely defend themselves."

"Who you calling brat, you geezer!" Naruto yelled, shaking his fist at him.

"Do you know who I am, brat? I'm Tazuna! The greatest bridge builder alive!" the alcoholic boasted.

"And you wanna know who I am?! I'm Uzumaki Naruto! I'm gonna be the next Hokage!" Naruto exclaimed triumphantly.

"A shrimp like you? HA! I doubt it." Tazuna said. "And what's with blondie girl? She looks skinnier than twigs in winter. And that kid there looks like a fucking pineapple!"

Asuma sighed as he held back his two blond genin. _'Thank god Nara kids don't have aggressive personalities… I only have two arms.'_ "We should start going now. We're losing daylight." Asuma said, pushing Naruto and Ino forward lightly.

"Hey, Asuma-sensei, is it cool if I do the leaf exercise as we walk?" Naruto asked.

"As long as you don't make any shadow clones and you can keep sharp of your surroundings, I really don't care what you do," Asuma said.

With that, Naruto focused his chakra into the leaf, still trying to get a clean cut.

"What's the 'leaf exercise'?" Tazuna asked, leaning towards Asuma.

"The leaf exercise is Naruto training his wind element ninjutsu. He's converting his regular chakra into wind chakra to cut the leaf," Asuma explained. "It's the first step to learning the wind nature."

"What would the second step be?" Tazuna asked.

"That's easy. Cutting a boulder," Asuma smiled.

"You think that can be done with just chakra?" Tazuna asked.

"Yeah, one hundred percent. The kid's full of chakra. More than me, I'd say," Asuma said. Ino and Shikamaru looked at their sensei.

"That's… hard to believe," Ino said incredulously. "I mean, sure, Naruto doesn't get tired easily, but having more chakra than you?"

"I believe it," Shikamaru said. "The **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** for example. It splits the chakra easily between each of the clones, right, Asuma-sensei?"

"Yeah, it does. Personally, I can only make a few before I'm out of chakra. And you saw Naruto make about twenty during the bell test. Hell, the kid told me he could make a hundred," Asuma chuckled.

"Hey, Asuma-sensei, I just had an idea," Naruto spoke up, finally cutting into the conversation.

"What's up?" Asuma asked, somewhat worried. The last time Naruto had an idea, it involved lots of explosive tags…

"Well, I gain all the experiences that my clones go through, right?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah, what of it?"

"Since I can make about a hundred clones, if I have fifty working on wind, and fifty working on lightning, couldn't I cut the time off learning both elements at the same time?" Naruto asked, making hand gestures to get his point across.

"Wait, wait, wait… Wind AND Lightning? You make it sound like you have BOTH," Ino said through squinted eyes.

"Anou… I have three," Naruto said with a nervous chuckle.

Ino stopped walking at this. "THAT'S A DAMN LIE, UZUMAKI!" Ino yelled.

Naruto jumped back at this with a yelp. "N-no it's not! Tell her Asuma-sensei!"

Asuma sighed, "He indeed does have three. Wind, lightning, and water."

"That's highly improbable," Shikamaru said with scrutinous eyes, "The chances of people having two affinities are below 40%, so I assume the chances of people having three or more is even lower than that…"

"But it's true!" Naruto whined, "Even Asuma-sensei saw it!"

Asuma sighed, "That's enough. We can continue this conversation some other time, right now we should all be focused on keeping our eyes and ears peeled. But yes, Naruto has shown the three elements. That being said, yes, Naruto, we could use the clones to train your wind and lightning natures at the same time."

The genin listened to Asuma, not responding to his statement. Instead, they continued walking on the path to wave. A few minutes later, two figures emerged from the forest, a spiked chain surrounding Asuma, tearing him to shreds. Ino let out a terrified scream as Shikamaru watched with wide eyes. Naruto looked in horror as the two figures seemed to look at him next. Based off their headbands, the three genin knew they were ninja from Kiri; with the scratch across the surface, it was clear they were missing nin as well. They wore clawed gauntlets on opposite hands, the chain connecting them both.

"One down…" The first spoke.

"Two down!" The second yelled, bolting forward, thrusting at Naruto with the claws on their gauntlet.

Acting completely on flight-or-fight, Naruto ducked the thrust, jumping backward to narrowly dodge the downward swipe, taking a kunai out from his pouch. He didn't know how well he would do, but his first priority was protecting Tazuna. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be getting much help. Shikamaru was frozen in fear and Ino fell to her knees, tears flowing as she mumbled something inaudible.

The two missing nin looked at each other, then nodded before rushing at the team. Naruto grit his teeth, running forward, meeting them both half way. With his kunai in a reverse grip, Naruto ducked under the first gauntlet before slashing upwards at the attacker. This resulted in the aggressor to back up, the other running forward this time, clashing with Naruto, leaking tons of killing intent. A nervous sweat came over Naruto, his knees shaking.

"Go, Meizu! Get the bridge builder! I got this brat!" the one attacking Naruto said.

"Right! After him, we'll have fun with the other brats, right Gozu?!" Meizu exclaimed in a wild like voice. He rushed forward, a clear shot in front of him as he lunged forward. Suddenly, his strike was directed downwards to the ground as Asuma appeared from thin air, a very angry face on. Meizu jumped back, rejoining with Gozu. Naruto backed up, standing next to Asuma.

"Asuma-sensei! You're alive!" Naruto said happily.

"Gozu and Meizu, Demon Brothers of Kirigakure, B-rank missing nin. You were chunin level before you left Kiri," Asuma said, ignoring Naruto currently.

"Well, well… Looks like someone's done their homework," Gozu said, clearly the more level headed of the two.

"Naruto, do you think you can still fight?" Asuma asked, taking his trench knives out from his pouch.

"U-uhh.. Yeah, I can try," Naruto said, focusing on Gozu again.

"Good. Ino! Shikamaru! You two are our support. Wait for openings and then immobilize them immediately! Am I understood?" Asuma asked.

"Hai!" the remaining two genin said.

Asuma and Naruto waited patiently, sizing up their opponents. As if on some sort of signal, the four ninja rushed at each other, clashing weapons with each other. Naruto pushed Gozu back, not giving him any time to breathe as he rushed recklessly, slashing wildly, trying to hit Gozu, who just blocked or parried the blonds efforts away. Naruto knew he would lose in straight up taijutsu, so he backed off a second, crossing his fingers. " **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!** " he yelled, three more of him appearing in a puff of smoke. Naruto and clones rushed forward, all trying to hit Gozu who seemed unimpressed the whole time.

Destroying two clones with ease, Gozu rushed at Naruto, who was now forced on the defensive. Unfortunately, it didn't last long as a shadow trailed the ground toward him, making him jump back. "A Nara, huh? That means I'll have to be more careful…" Gozu said softly. Gozu rushed forward again, this time focusing a sharp killing intent on the poor Nara, who froze in fear again. Gozu smiled under his mask, striking at the blond, scratching his arm the slightest bit. Unfortunately, that didn't last long. Gozu was swiftly chopped in the back of the neck by Asuma, who made short work of the other missing nin.

With both brothers tied and unconscious, Asuma turned to his team, Ino bandaging Naruto's arm. He let out a small drag from his cigarette, looking at Tazuna. "I thought we would be defending you from bandits and thieves," Asuma said scrutinously.

"I did too," Tazuna admitted. "Since Gato took over, all he's had were bandits and thugs, not ninja."

"This bumps the mission to at least B-rank," Asuma said, "This is well above what genin are good for-"

"But we can't afford a B-rank…" Tazuna said, cutting Asuma off. **(AN: Talk no Jutsu!)** "Please… You're our last hope. If I can get the bridge done, then new trade route will open up! And… And… I can pay you back! Personally, I'll pay you however much would be enough to cover a B-rank mission! I don't care if there's interest. I don't care if I have to work overtime to pay you back! Please! Just let me make my daughter and grandson happy… This is our last chance before all hope is gone…"

Asuma sighed softly. He could hear Naruto babbling nonsense behind him, falling for the sob story. Looking behind him, Shikamaru was standing behind Naruto, looking at the clouds, but Asuma could see the determination in his eyes. Naruto looked at Asuma with puppy dog eyes, rivers pouring down his cheeks as he looked at Asuma pleadingly. Ino was looking at the ground, tears in her eyes, struggling internally. Asuma reached into his pouch, taking out an empty scroll. He started writing to the Hokage, explaining the situation and requesting immediate back up. Using another scroll, this time with a summoning matrix upon it, summoned a messenger bird. "Take this to the hokage," Asuma instructed the bird, putting the scroll in the tube on the birds back. With the scroll secure, the bird flew up and headed back to Konoha. "Alright team, let's press forward. We will be keeping our looks sharp. Naruto, no more leaf training, we need everyone on full alert."

The three genin stood in attention, giving Asuma a strong "Hai!" They took up a tighter formation around the bridge builder, everyone on full alert. Naruto was a nervous wreck. His hands shook nervously as he looked left and right quickly. As they walked, Naruto heard a faint movement to his left. He paused slightly, staring at the bush.

"What's wrong Naruto?" Ino asked, looking in the same direction.

Naruto couldn't say anything as the bush shook slightly. Acting upon instinct, Naruto threw a kunai, Asuma positioning himself in front of Tazuna. However, a small snow rabbit exit the bush, running away from the location.

"You idiot!" Ino yelled, bonking Naruto on his head, "You scared the shit outta me!"

"No! I swear! Something was there!" Naruto shouted.

"Yeah! A snow bunny!" Ino snapped back.

"It doesn't snow in Konoha during summer!" Naruto shouted back. Asuma's and Shikamaru's eyes widened at this. They miscalculated something.

Asuma felt the hair on the nape of his neck rise, goose bumps along his arms. "Get down!" He ordered, tackling Tazuna to the ground. Shikamaru jumped down, while Naruto grabbed Ino, jumping out the way. A giant sword flew over them, the force of the throw blowing a gust of wind with it. The sword buried itself inside a large tree, a man with a sleeveless shirt and camo pants stood upon the hilt. His face was bandaged, and the headband on his forehead signaled he was from Kiri.

"My my… Sarutobi Asuma… Son of the Sandaime Hokage and member of the Shugonin Jūnishi," the man's voice was heavy. The killer intent he gave off was monstrous. "Here to protect a small little civilian are you?"

Naruto looked at his teammates. Shikamaru was trembling, but too scared to move. Ino, however, fell to her knees, tears falling as if in the presence of the Shinigami. He looked over at Tazuna, the old man stood completely still. Too scared to move for fear of death.

"Momochi Zabuza… Kirigakure no Kijin, ex-member of Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shū, and S-rank missing nin. Holding Kubikiribōchō, you can take out just about any squad of ninja that comes your way," Asuma said, unaffected by the killer intent.

"Hoho… Looks like someone did their homework," Zabuza smirked.

As they were talking, Naruto very hesitantly turned his head to the left, swearing that he heard something.

With a small frown, Zabuza took his sword from the tree. "How about we make a deal… You hand over the bridge builder, I'll let you live."

"Not a chance in hell," Asuma replied.

"Hmm… That's just too bad…" Zabuza replied. With a few hand signs, a dense mist began to surround them. " **Kirigakure no Jutsu**."

"Everyone, Formation C!" Asuma shouted. Immediately, all three genin surrounded Zabuza, kunai out in front.

"How foolish.." Zabuza spoke, his voice seeming to come from everywhere. "You think that can help you. Let me tell you, it won't to a damn thing. Hehe… You see, back in my village, I was hailed as one of the natural geniuses of stealth… Kirigakure were masters of the Silent Killing technique. Allow me to inform you all of my eight options: larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular vein, clavicle vein, kidneys and the heart…" Suddenly, Zabuza appeared within their defenses, in the middle of the three genin and their client. "BUT THOSE AREN'T AS FUN AS A BEHEADING!" he yelled, swinging his sword in a circular motion.

Shikamaru and Ino jumped out the way in time, their fight-or-flight instincts kicking in. Naruto, however, was more resilient. He positioned his kunai in the way of the massive cleaver, parrying it off course to where Tazuna could duck under the blade. Naruto was knocked back due to the power of the swing as Asuma engaged Zabuza, trench knives on. Slash after slash, Asuma dodged and parried. Strike after strike, Zabuza dodged and parried. Both ninja were on even terms, and the genin could only just watch.

"We need to do something," Ino whispered, eyes wide, not peeling away from the fight.

"Shikamaru, can you use your shadow possession to hold Zabuza in place..?" Naruto asked his pineapple haired teammate.

"I can try," Shikamaru said. Shikamaru moved through the hand signs before he was interrupted.

Zabuza jumped a few meters away from Asuma, flipping through a few of his own hand signs, landing on tiger. " **Suiton: Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu**!" The water around Zabuza swirled and began to condense, forming another Zabuza. "Now the kiddies can play while we do, Asuma," Zabuza said, a malicious laughter escaping his lips.

The genin paled, seeing their new opponent. "Shika, I'll buy you as much time as possible, yeah..?" Naruto said. Crossing his fingers, Naruto looked slightly shaken, " **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"** About twelve Narutos sprang into existence around Zabuza. _'What's going on..? I meant to summon more than these!'_ Naruto thought. Unfortunately, it would have to do. With Zabuza in an even match, he couldn't save them this time. Taking out a kunai, all the Narutos' charged at Zabuza, attacking at all angles.

Zabuza didn't flinch, parrying and popping the clones left and right. He laughed as he did so, making his way to Naruto, his killer intent rising with each clone popped.

Naruto was breathing heavily. He had no idea what to do, but he needed something to do. Suddenly, Naruto felt a tug, moving him out the way of Zabuza's falling sword.

"You idiot! Don't just stand there!" Ino yelled, though she herself was terrified.

She was right though. Naruto couldn't just stand there. He needed to move. He needed to fight! With new determination in his eyes, Naruto gripped his kunai tightly, running forward to clash with Zabuza. Unfortunately, Kubikiribōchō was heavy, making Naruto's knees buckle when he blocked. So, he opted for dodging and parrying. Naruto was not making any advantage, and was constantly being pushed back.

However, Shikamaru's shadow shot forward, making Zabuza jump back. "Hmm… The Nara clan huh? That means that girlie there should be a Yamanaka… But you, boy… You certainly not an Akimichi…"

"Damn straight I'm not! I'm Uzumaki Naruto, 'ttebayo!" Naruto claimed.

Zabuza looked at Naruto under scrutinous eyes. "That's definitely not possible."

"And why not?!" Naruto asked.

"The Uzumaki have red hair. They were masters in fuinjutsu… And lastly… They're all dead…" Zabuza said. The three leaf genin widened their eyes at this. "They were noble, the lot of them. Always honored and feared. The whole shinobi world were scared of Uzushiogakure. And they weren't afraid of anything. Unfortunately, Iwa, Kumo, and Kiri decided to ally together and destroy them. And those peace loving tree huggers at Konoha just let the others roll over them! Not even sending a single ninja to help! I'll tell you what, Gaki. If you are an Uzumaki, come with me… I'll let you take revenge on those tree huggers."

"And what of you, huh?! Aren't you from Kiri! Didn't you help it get destroyed!" Naruto shouted.

Zabuza chuckled softly, "Alright, I guess I'll just waste you like Kiri did to your family."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. He was angry. And betrayed, but right now, he needed to fight. He ran forward again, striking at Zabuza, who parried it to the side easily, kicking Naruto away to a tree.

Shikamaru used his shadow again, trying to hold Zabuza down as Ino ran to the side in front of Tazuna.

Naruto slowly got up, his back aching and head ringing. Suddenly, he heard a voice in his head whisper _'Left!'_ Naruto, acting on instinct, jumped left, dodging Zabuza's strike once again. With a scream, Naruto shot back at Zabuza, trying his hardest, only to get knocked down. This time, there was no voice to instruct Naruto on what to do, so he sat in terror.

"This is the end, kid. I'll let you rest with the other Uzumakis." Zabuza said darkly, swinging Kubikiribōchō down.

Naruto closes his eyes, and waits for his inevitable demise. He waits. And waits.. And waits…

"Damn it, you idiot! Get out of there!" Ino yelled. Naruto's eyes snapped open, seeing Zabuza paused an inch of his shoulder.

Naruto scooted back and ran next to Shikamaru, who let go of his jutsu. "Thanks, Shika, I owe you one."

"Just end this quick, I'm out of chakra," Shikamaru said.

"You brats… ARE STARTING TO ANNOY ME!" Zabuza yelled. He ran forward, a wide slash aimed for both Naruto and Shikamaru. Both genin backed up, and jumped away, Shikamaru jumping closer to Tazuna than Naruto.

Naruto crossed his fingers again, numerous shadow clones popping into existence. Naruto rushed Zabuza again, coming at all angles, trying to subdue him. With another wide swing, Zabuza popped multiple clones, before jumping back. He went through a few signs, landing on rat before pulling the bandages on his mouth down, " **Suiton: Suidan no Jutsu**!" Water bullets spew from his mouth, popping more and more Narutos. Zabuza rushed forward again, popping more clones and slicing through them with ease. Zabuza rushed for the real Naruto, swinging fast.

* * *

 **With Asuma, several minutes before**

Zabuza jumped a few meters away from Asuma, flipping through a few of his own hand signs, landing on tiger. " **Suiton: Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu**!" The water around Zabuza swirled and began to condense, forming another Zabuza. "Now the kiddies can play while we do, Asuma," Zabuza said, a malicious laughter escaping his lips.

Asuma squint his eyes, locked in combat with the real Zabuza. He knew he had a small elemental disadvantage, meaning he had to depend on futon jutsu. Next, he couldn't reliably depend on his trench knives, due to Kubikiribōchō being a longer blade. What he could depend on, however, was his trench knives with wind chakra. No matter how dense something is, the wind can slice through unrestricted.

"Channeling wind chakra, I see," Zabuza chuckled, "This is the worst sword to fight."

"What are you talking about?" Asuma asked.

"Kubikiribōchō has the ability to mend itself upon inflicting wounds. It absorbs the iron in the blood, restoring it to glory." Zabuza explained. "A fitting sword, don't you think?"

Asuma narrowed his eyes. He channeled his chakra into his trench knives, raising them up close to his face. He was at a significant range disadvantage, but he would try to make due. Both shinobi ran forward, Zabuza starting by swinging his sword horizontally at Asuma's abdomen. Asuma forced himself to jump back, Kubikiribōchō just barely grazing his flak jacket. Chomping down on the unlit cigarette that hung out his mouth, Asuma ran forward, striking at Zabuza multiple times. Zabuza dodged the first few, but was caught off guard with a feint, a trench knife cutting into his cheek, soaking the bandages that wrapped around his mouth.

"Hmm… I'll admit, I underestimated you a bit…" Zabuza said. He jumped back a few meters away, stabbing his giant blade into the ground. He began to chant, making hand signs as he went. "Ushi, Saru, U, Ne, I, Tori…"

Asuma began to flip through his own hand signs, building chakra. " **Fuuton: Daitoppa**!" Asuma yelled, puffing his cheeks with a large inhale. He expelled the wind, shooting it at Zabuza.

"... Ne, I, Tori! **Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu**!" Zabuza exclaimed. The water around him swirled, turning itself into a dragon that bolted towards Asuma. The two jutsu clashed in mid air, spraying water around them.

Asuma took this time to go through a few more hand signs, " **Katon: Haisekishō**!" He surrounded Zabuza in ashes, biting down to explode the cloud. The shockwave and heat seemed to lessen the mist around them.

"Hohoho… That blast almost got me…" Zabuza said, rising from the water. The bandages were singed and still soaked with his blood. His right arm was covered in blood and burned in multiple areas. "I gotta say, I sorely underestimated you tree huggers. I figured my clone would have killed your brats by now." Just then, a blood chilling scream from Ino rang from behind them, accompanied by Shikamaru's yell of "Naruto!" and Naruto's scream of agony. "Spoke too soon," Zabuza chuckled darkly.

Asuma turned to his genin, seeing Zabuza above Naruto, Kubikiribōchō lodged into the blond's shoulder. "You son of a bitch! You'll pay for that!" Asuma shouted. The pissed off Sarutobi flipped through hand signs, turning back to the real Zabuza. _'If I take out the real one, the clone will follow after!'_ Asuma thought. " **Fūton: Kazekiri no Jutsu**!" Using his trench knives, Asuma sent blade after blade of wind chakra at Zabuza.

The missing nin was only able to jump back and dodge around, giving a subtle signal that Asuma didn't seem to notice. As if on cue, two senbon flew through the air, striking Zabuza's neck twice as a blade of wind struck his chest. Unfortunately, it didn't slice through him, due to the distance, but it definitely did a number. As Zabuza fell to the ground, the mizu bunshin turned back into water and a new ninja came into view, standing next to Zabuza's body. "I'm sorry to take the kill away from you, ninja-san. I just saw the opportunity, and couldn't let it get away," The masked ninja said.

"No, it's alright. Are you a hunter nin?" Asuma asked.

"Indeed," they confirmed. They picked up Zabuza's body, "I must go. I have to destroy this body. But take this, that blond boy took quite the hit from what I can see." The masked hunter nin tossed Asuma a small container of medicinal ointment. With that, the masked ninja left in a swirl of water.

Asuma quickly went back to his genin, Naruto currently passed out as Ino attempted to stitch him up with shaky hands. "Is he alright?" Asuma asked.

"We don't know," Shikamaru answered. "But we're trying to prevent more blood loss." His hands were shaking violently as well.

Asuma bent down, gently and slowly moving his hands towards Ino's, "You're okay. Let me help," he whispered. He helped steady Ino's hands, who was currently completely silent. The rest of the team worked through silence. Asuma could see the would was already starting to heal, but it was slow. Once the wound was stitched closed, he took the ointment from the hunter nin, spreading it across the wound. Ino bandaged Naruto's shoulder as best she could. For now, Team ten just needed to play the waiting game.

* * *

 **Unknown Location**

Naruto slowly woke up, laying on what seemed to be a sleeping bag, the soft glow of a fire lighting the area. Naruto slowly sat up, looking around slowly. His eyes fell upon a male figure, sitting as they watched the fire. The man had spiky white hair that went down to his mid back, red horns protruding from his forehead. He was dressed in white kimono robes and had dark onyx eyes. His skin was a sickly pale blue, a red necklace of beads hung at his neck. In front of him was a small ornate blade.

Naruto just stared at the man, not knowing what to think.

"It's rude to stare, Uzumaki-san," the man spoke. His voice was soft, barely a whisper, yet it seemed powerful. Naruto was able to see sharp, jagged teeth.

"W-who… Are you..?" Naruto asked, afraid of the answer.

"A servant of Kami herself… The bringer of death, the knight of the dark… And the man who gave you that seal," he answered, pointing to Naruto's stomach. "I am the Shinigami. Life-long ally of the Uzumaki clan."

Naruto paled, his eyes wide. "Oh Kami! I'm dead?!"

"Not yet, no. You see, Uzumaki-san, I've been allies with your ancestors since their inception. I do not wish to cull one so young such as yourself, no… I wish to grant you a choice," the Shinigami explained.

"What's in it for you..?" Naruto asked, his eyes narrowing in skepticism.

"I get to work with the Uzumaki clan once again," he said. "Everyone always seemed to fear me, not that I blame them. Everyone hates death, and some even try to delay it. They curse my name when a loved one passes, and curse another before they're killed. But the Uzumaki… They embraced death. Welcomed it, even. They didn't fear it, instead they worshiped it. I have known and remembered every Uzumaki to have lived, whether it be for a few hours, or even up to over a century."

"Can… Can you tell me who my parents were…?" Naruto asked softly.

"Uzumaki Kushina. Akai Chishio no Habanero. She was a dangerous ninja, you know. Quite hot headed and stubborn, just as you. Those that knew her feared her wrath, just as they feared the rest of Uzushiogakure," the Shinigami answered. "But your father, that I cannot tell you. Not because I am bound from doing so, but because I believe it will save you. Back to the business at hand, Naruto-san. You have a choice, you can come with me, die the person you were, or you can go back, work with me, and become a true master of death. Give a new meaning to the name Uzumaki."

Naruto pondered this. "How much time do I have to choose..?"

"As much as you need."

Naruto stared at the fire, the wood cracking and burning. He contemplated the choice. Would it be worth going back..? There was the Hokage. And Iruka-sensei. Teuchi, Ayame, Asuma, Shikamaru… Would Ino count..? Would she even miss him? She hated him. She always has. And the rest of the villagers also hated him. All because of the stupid fox in his stomach. Does Ino know…? Oh god, does Shikamaru know?! He needed guidance. He needed help… He couldn't do this alone… Then it struck him. He wasn't alone. He wouldn't be alone. "Anou… Shinigami-sama…?" Naruto spoke, unsure of what to call the spirit of death.

"Yes?" the Shinigami asked, turning his attention to the blond.

"Would… Would you… Help me… If I went back..?" Naruto asked.

"Help you what?"

"Grow stronger… Be stronger. I know why everyone hates me, and I know why they've ignored me and boycott me. But I don't know why I want to protect them! They hurt me! They deserve to die! They make me so angry, and what they've done is unforgivable! But… Whenever I think of hurting them… It hurts me… I just… Want their acceptance…" Naruto said. At first, his voice was strong and angry, but it faded to sadness. The light in his eyes dulled, no longer as vibrant as they once were.

"I will not sugarcoat this, Naruto-san. You alone cannot change their opinion and treatment of you." Naruto flinched at this. "But, the words and actions of you and your allies, that can change them. Those who you hold close. Combined, the bonds you have and will create will affect others. It will be a hard task, and people will doubt and judge you. But never forget who is there for you when you're down."

"If I go back, how will you help me?" Naruto asked.

"I will give you a gift, Naruto-san. One that will make you a formidable opponent, as well as unlocking your true potential. It is up to you to determine if you want it," the Shinigami answered ambiguously.

Naruto took a deep breath, then looked to the Shinigami with determination in his eyes. "I'll take it, upon one condition."

"What is it?" the Shinigami asked, a little skeptical.

"Tell me about Uzushiogakure," Naruto said. "Tell me about the clan I was never taught about. Teach me what made the Uzumaki so feared."

The Shinigami smiled. "Very well… But I will not do it now, however. For our time is limited. But I promise you, Naruto-san, I will tell you about your family and the land that once housed them."

The fire seemed to grow. It began to shine a bright white from the soft orange glow that it once gave off. Naruto shielded his eyes as the voice of the Shinigami seemed to whisper into his ear, "I will talk to you soon, Naruto-san."

* * *

 **Land of Waves - Tazuna's House, Few days later**

Naruto slowly opened his eyes before immediately shutting them back due to the sun being too bright. He slowly scooted away from the sun ray, trying to sit up, before going back down from pain in his left shoulder. He looked around at the neat room around him. There was another empty bed and the furnishings of the usual bedroom. The sound of the waves crashing near him calmed him. Gritting his teeth through the pain, Naruto sat up slowly, his feet resting on the cold wooden floor. His shoulder was covered in bandages and the pungent smell of ointment was there. A soft orange glow emerged on the back of his right hand. He stared, half curious and half scared. A complex sealing matrix seemed to appear on his hand before slowly fading away to nothingness.

' _Just a small gift, Uzumaki-san,'_ the Shinigami's voice whispered in his head.

Naruto wondered what the gift was, but decided he would find out later. Naruto slowly stood up, his legs sore from not being used for so long. He used the wall to help himself stand, slowly making his way to the door. He exit the room, and slowly walked to the stairs. He should've gotten a kunai. He heard voices come from downstairs, though what they were saying was muffled. Gripping the handrail tightly, Naruto slowly went downstairs.

"-means you all are going to have to train," the voice of a jounin male said. He had silver hair that seemed to defy gravity, and his headband covered his eye, making him look like a cyclops. He had a mask that covered from his nose downwards.

"What are we going to do?" Naruto asked, getting everyone's attention.

"Naruto!" Ino and Shikamaru shouted. A large weight was lifted off their shoulders.

"Nice to have you awake, sleeping beauty," a boy with brown hair and red marks on his cheeks said.

"What are you doing here, Kiba?" Naruto asked.

"We're the reinforcements that were sent," the cyclops said. "I am Hatake Kakashi, jounin sensei of Team Seven. You're Uzumaki Naruto, correct?"

"I am, nice to meet you," Naruto said. With Shikamaru's help, Naruto sat at the table as a beautiful woman with long black hair and soft brown eyes set a place of food in front of him.

"My name is Tsunami, I'm the daughter of the man you protected," the woman said with a smile.

"Nice to meet you too, thank you for the food," Naruto said, digging in. "So, what training are we doing?" Naruto asked.

"You aren't doing any training, Naruto," Asuma said.

"What?! Why not?!" Naruto shouted.

"Because you're injured, baka!" Ino shouted back. "You can barely stand!"

"Wow, Ino, I didn't know you cared so much for Naruto," a pink haired girl spoke up.

"Shut it forehead! He's my teammate and he nearly died!" Ino snapped back.

"She has a point, Sakura," Kakashi spoke, "You shouldn't insult or make fun of someone who nearly died on the job. Don't you remember when I showed you three the memorial stone?"

"I still think I can do something, though…" Naruto mumbled, clearly deflated.

"If you recover more in about a day or two, we can train you more, but as it stands currently, you're in no condition to do so," Asuma said.

"Is there anything I can do?" Naruto asked.

"Rest," Shikamaru said. "You'd only hold us back, Naruto. No offense. But Asuma-sensei is right. You should be better in about a day or two. You've healed significantly faster than we all thought you would."

"Not even something small? That's not too physically intensive?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi looked at Naruto, "Well… There are a few things I can think of. Though, you won't be able to use your shadow clones for it."

"What are they?" Naruto asked. He was eager to just do something.

Kakashi look out a small piece of paper from his pouch, touching it to his forehead and letting go. The paper stuck to his forehead as he explained, "You can work on your chakra control."

"Or…." Naruto asked, clearly unamused with the joke Kakashi just said.

"Or work on your elemental manipulation," Kakashi also suggested.

"Oh! Right! I still haven't cut the leaf yet! I got halfway a few times, though!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Oh, by the way, Kakashi, I've been meaning to ask you if you could help Naruto," Asuma said.

"Help?" Kakashi inquired.

"Well, Naruto… Uhh.. Just look," Asuma said, fumbling on his words. Tsunami didn't allow for smoking inside, so he had trouble doing normal human things. She did, however, let him hang an unlit cigarette from his mouth. He reached into his pouch, taking out another sheet of chakra paper, holding it out for Naruto. "Show em."

Naruto grabbed the paper and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and channeled chakra into the paper. The one jounin that was unaware of Naruto's gift widened his eye in surprise. Like before, the paper split in half, the left side wrinkling and the right side became damp and soggy.

"Wait, what just happened?" Kiba asked.

"That is Chakra Induction Paper," Asuma explained. "When chakra is channeled into it, it shows which element you have an affinity for. Wind chakra cuts it in half, lightning wrinkles the paper, water makes it damp, earth crumbles, and fire ignites the paper."

"So you're saying Naruto has three?" Sakura inquired.

"Indeed," Asuma answered.

"Give me one," a raven haired boy said. It was the first time he spoke up since Naruto came downstairs.

"Oh? Interested are you now, Sasuke?" Kakashi asked.

"I can't blame him," Asuma chuckled. "Here, why don't all the genin here take one?"

Asuma handed out the papers, instructing them not to channel their chakra just yet. He wanted them to do it one at a time.

"Alright Sasuke, you first," Kakashi said. The raven haired boy only have a small "hn" is response before he closed his eyes. The paper simply ignited and did nothing else.

"Looks like you've gotten the gift of the Uchiha clan," Asuma chuckled.

"It has to be broken…" Sasuke said, slightly irritated.

"What do you mean?" Kakashi asked.

"There's no way the dobe has more elements than I do," Sasuke sneered.

"Don't worry, Asuma, I'll give him one of mine." Kakashi pulled out another slip of paper that was identical. Again, Sasuke channeled chakra, and again, it only ignited.

"This has to be some trick!" Sasuke yelled.

"Yeah! There's no way Naruto-baka has more than Sasuke-kun!" Sakura agreed.

"Calm down you two," Kakashi stated, "The chakra paper is highly sensitive to chakra. It is not a trick. Naruto just seems to possess a gift. How about you next, Sakura?"

Sakura frowned before channeling chakra into the paper. The paper seemed to crumble apart. "Looks like I have earth," she said.

"Kiba?" Asuma said. The boy channeled chakra and the sheet immediately ignited into flames. "Fire. Well, we aren't called Fire Country for nothing."

"Shikamaru?" Kakashi inquired. Like the other two male genin that went before him, Shikamaru's paper ignited into flames.

"Lastly, Ino," Asuma said. Ino nodded, and channeled chakra into the paper. The paper became wet and soggy like one of Naruto's half.

"Hey, Ino, maybe we can train in water manipulation together!" Naruto said excitedly.

"I'd have to find you a teacher, first. I still have no idea who has a water affinity in Konoha," Asuma said.

"Hmm… I'll look into that as well for you," Kakashi said.

"Well, I think it's time that we got to training. Would it be okay if you took my students, Kakashi? I wanna oversee Naruto's wind training exercise," Asuma said.

"Not a problem at all," Kakashi said, giving his colleague an eye smile. "Come, come little genin. We have lots of work to do."

Shikamaru and Ino followed Team Seven outside, Asuma helping Naruto walk as they began their way out as well.

Asuma sat down in front of Naruto, handing him a leaf. "Remember, rub two halves of chakra together, thereby sharpening the flow."

"I got it," Naruto smiled. He placed the leaf within his palm, working on imagining his chakra flow. After a minute or two of concentrating, he lifted his hand, revealing a leaf that was cut half way.

"You know, you're making significant progress. I'm proud of you, kid. Let's keep working at it," Asuma said.

* * *

 **Unknown Location**

Zabuza lay in bed, stitches across his chest from Asuma's attacks. Next to him, a black haired androgynous figure sat, applying ointment to his wounds. The door swung open, revealing a small man with two samurai at his sides.

"Well well well…" The goblin man spoke, "Look what we have here. The "Demon of the Mist" huh? More like wuss of the century!"

"Shut it, Gato. I may be injured, but I can still kick your ass…" Zabuza said.

"You mustn't dirty your hands with the likes of him, Zabuza-sama," the androgynous person said, "I will do it for you…"

"What was that?" One of the swordsman asked, a hand on their sword.

"Shut up… or I'll kill you…" the partner said softly.

 **Somewhere in Mizu no Kuni**

An auburn haired woman with emerald green eyes sneezed softly. The shinobi around her looked at her, concerned.

"Are you okay, Mei-sama?" one shinobi asked.

"Yes, sorry. Continue with the attack plan, please," Mei asked.

 **Back with Zabuza and co.**

"Listen, if you want to get paid, just make sure you kill that damn bridge builder. I can't have anymore excuses!" Gato shouted. He exit the room, the two samurai closing the door behind them.

"You know, Haku. We really should just kill the bastard and take his money," Zabuza said softly.

"If you wish it to be done, I will do it," Haku responded.

 **Chapter End.**

* * *

 **AN: HOLY SHIT THAT WAS LONGER THAN EXPECTED. But anyways! I hope you guys are excited! Cause I'm certainly not! Anyways, there you have it folks! Naruto's first near death experience! As I said before, I wanted Naruto more like Kushina for this and less like Minato. But I will have a few qualities of Minato. I hope you all understand! OH! One more thing! I want Naruto's relationship with Ino to blossom slowly, not just hit romance right away. I haven't even fully developed their character yet, and the next few chapters will do that! See you guys then!**

 **As always, this is beta read by my sister!**

 _Jesus i can barely get chapters a third this length…. *goes to my shame corner*_

 **Having trouble getting it up there, huh?**

 _Yeah…. I need writing Viagra…._


	4. Update: Apology

**Attention: There is a TL;DR at the bottom**

Hey guys, it's Dream here. I owe you all an apology for the sudden disappearance. I would first like to tell you all that I'm not giving up, I'm going to keep on writing this story. As it stands, I have a bit of the next chapter written down, just not enough to warrant a post. Currently, my life has been busy with school due to finals, and I am wanting to focus on that in addition to an original story I am in the works of writing. That being said, this will be on the back burner till further notice. I apologize to those of you who like the story, but my focus will be my original work. That being said, I do not know how long of a hiatus this will be, but once I feel comfortable enough with spending some time off my novel, I will occasionally write down a page or two for this fanfic. Sorry for those of you who wanted a bit more.

TL;DR

I've been busy with finals for school and currently working on my own original novel, so I will be on hiatus until further notice.


	5. Update: Another Apology

Dear Loyal Reader,

Hello Everyone! My it's Dream, and I wanted to say I'm back! Unfortunately… It will not be with this story. It is one part forgetting the plot, and two parts not feeling the motivation for this fic right now. Worry not, though! I have arranged for another fic that will be similar to, but not an exact copy of, this one here! I would like to inform you all that this story will not be abandoned, however, as I have great plans, so it is on hiatus until further notice. I hope you all understand, and will support my other fic(s)!

Your Failure of an Author,

Dream.


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